Shopping in Clarence-Rockland

Canada Beading Supply outfits beaders, jewellers, and crafters from a massive stock of gemstones, stringing materials, and other provisions for creative journeys. Garnet, carnelian, and jade gemstones glisten next to strands of freshwater pearls, which save beaders the trouble of harvesting their own from an oyster's hotel safe. The collection’s diversity helps customers realize nearly any creative vision, and classes—from basic gemology to wire wrapping—impart the techniques necessary to turn raw materials into functional adornments.

Multicrafts & Gifts has helped customers to make their creative visions a reality for more than 30 years. The 50,000-square-foot warehouse supplies Multicrafts & Gifts' own shop, and it also ships arts and crafts supplies to stores around the globe. Artists can select from products such as an exclusive line of glass beads, a vast selection of rubber stamps, scrapbooking paper and embellishments, bottles filled with Bob Ross's dreams.

Play It Again Sports overhauls lockers with high-quality gear and rescues gently used athletic equipment from untimely retirement. Products from brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Wilson make up an all-star line-up across each store's shelves, which are replenished daily with goods for a wide selection of sports that ranges from hockey and softball to inline skating and lacrosse. Treadmills and exercise bikes equip bodies with muscular suits of armour, and pint-sized and adolescent equipment arms youngsters with protective padding until they eat enough bologna to grow muscles of their own. To ensure its stock remains robust, Play It Again Sports encourages athletes to collect their lightly used gear—including bicycles—and bring it into a local store to either sell or trade.

Perhaps Budd Gardens’ story begins back in the fields of Ukraine, when a young Peter Bodnaryk lost his father to a lightning strike, leaving him an orphan to be raised by his village. Or perhaps the story begins when, years later and at the urging of a poster inviting Ukrainians to Canada, Peter sold his small plot of land and hopped a boat to Quebec City. Regardless of where the seed of Budd Gardens’ was planted, the true story began to unfold in Ottawa in 1913. It was then that Peter—having shortened his surname to Budd—met his wife Theresa, and the two joined forces to found a business that would end up thriving through most of the 1900s and into the new millennium.

More than a century has passed since these events unfurled, and Peter and Theresa’s hard work and passion for gardening has been lovingly tended to and passed down through the Budd family, resting now with their grandsons, Don and David. The brothers immersed themselves in the business early on, piloting tractors around the farm at the tender age of 10, working each summer in the greenhouse, and selling the farm’s bounty at local markets. Today, the pair works tirelessly to maintain the same values of uncompromising attention to detail and customer service that were set forth by their grandparents decades ago.

Budd Gardens’ close-knit staff—comprised of family members and seasoned veterans who return to the gardens year after year—takes their work seriously, bustling about the sprawling farm to coax vibrant blooms and verdant plants forth from the soil. The knowledgeable team remains on hand throughout the day, offering up their horticultural prowess to help visitors choose suitable plants for their home gardens and to dole out advice, such as when to plant what or how to quash lawn-gnome uprisings. Though they are purveyors of numerous plants, including hardy field-grown perennials, their signature flora remains hostas, which, because they are sold in their juvenile stage, promise to yield years of greenery.

At Play It Again Sports, locally owned and operated for 20 years, athletes suit up to conquer challenges on the ice, in the field, or on the court with new and used gear from major-league brands such as Bauer, Reebok, and Adidas. An ever-rotating inventory keeps lockers stocked with spare balls, dressers filled with run-ready shorts, and dens populated with gleaming treadmills. Proud recipients of the Gold Standard Store award, amiable staffers stand ready to answer questions or assist with fittings, ensuring that each athlete leaves with the appropriate gear for their needs. Neglected equipment ready to leave storage spaces and rejoin the sporting life can be traded in for cash or credit for gear, completing the ethereal Circle of Sports.

Since 1982, AquaSport has equipped competitive and recreational swimmers with suits, accessories, and training equipment. Five brick-and-mortar boutiques carry thousands of trendy trunks, two-pieces, and Victorian-era swimming jackets from more than 100 brands including Nike, Speedo, TYR, and Arena. A large athletic section holds specialty apparel and equipment for watersports such as water polo, triathlons, and professional cat bathing.